Your Swim Workout

Warm up 150 Metres

Main set 400 Metres

Count your strokes per length. Try to swim each second length with 1 fewer stroke. Kicking harder on the second length will help

2 x 50mFront Crawl

Concentrate on getting the maximum out of each stroke by finishing all the way to your thigh with a strong tricep extension

2 x 50mPunch Drill

A 25m with your fists clenched, then 25m full front crawl stroke. The Punch Drill is a great way to learn to ‘feel’ the water more

Cool down 150 Metres

3 x 50mMixed

Easy. Your choice of mixed strokes to finish the workout. Slowly bring the high heart rate and heavy breathing down

Photography by Anita Bean

Your Meal Plan by Anita Bean - Sports Nutritionist

Improve Technique Nutrition Plan

Anita is an award-winning nutritionist and health writer, specialising in sport and exercise nutrition for swimmers to achieve their goals. Anita has created some nutritious, tasty and easy to make recipes that will boost your energy and help you get the most out of your day.

Breakfast

Photography by Anita Bean

EGG AND AVOCADO TOAST

Here’s a delicious, perfectly balanced breakfast that’s rich in protein, monounsaturated fats, carbohydrate and fibre. It’s also a good way of getting your iron. Jazz it up with any of the suggested toppings.

Method:

1. Bring a pan of water to the boil. Crack an egg into a cup, then slip it into the water. Alternatively, crack the egg into a silicone egg poacher and place this in the boiling water. Reduce the heat and poach for about 4 minutes until the white is just set.

2. While the egg is cooking, toast the bread. Using a fork, roughly mash the avocado on the toast. When the egg is cooked, use a slotted spoon to lift it out of the water and place on top of the toast. Sprinkle with salt, freshly ground black pepper, herbs and chilli flakes (if using) and scatter over the tomatoes (if using).

Lunch

Photography by Anita Bean

QUINOA, CHICKEN AND BEETROOT BOWL

This protein-packed salad is a tasty way of adding beetroot to your diet. Beetroot increases the body’s levels of nitric oxide, which helps improve blood flow and oxygen delivery to the muscles during aerobic exercise.

Per serving

COOK 8 mins PREP 10 mins SERVES 2 FOR THE SALAD

Ingredients:

1 tsp smoked paprika

2 tsp light olive or rapeseed oil

2 small skinless, boneless chicken breasts

250g pack cooked quinoa (or any other mixture of wholegrains)

4 spring onions, sliced

2 medium cooked beetroots, quartered

handful baby spinach

6 cherry tomatoes, halved

1 tbsp cashews, toasted and roughly chopped

FOR THE DRESSING

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp balsamic vinegar

1 small garlic clove, crushed

salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

1. Start by making the salad. Combine the paprika and half the oil in a small bowl. Rub the mixture over the chicken. Heat the remaining oil in a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat and cook the chicken breasts for 6-8 minutes each side or until cooked through. Allow to cool, then cut into slices.

2. To make the dressing, shake the dressing ingredients together in a screw-top jar or bottle, then season to taste.

3. In a large bowl, mix together the quinoa, spring onion, beetroot, spinach and tomatoes. Divide between two bowls, sprinkle with the cashews and top with the sliced chicken. Drizzle over the dressing.

MAKE IT VEGETARIAN Substitute a poached egg for the chicken

Dinner

Photography by Anita Bean

BLACK BEAN AND SWEET POTATO CURRY

This easy-to-make vegetarian curry is delicious, highly nutritious and comforting. It provides plenty of protein and fibre, along with beta-carotene from the sweet potato and vitamin C, folate and cancerprotective phytonutrients from the mangetout. The cashews add iron and heart-healthy unsaturated fats.

Per bar

COOK 45 mins PREP 10 mins SERVES 2

Ingredients:

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks

1⁄4 butternut squash, peeled and cut into 2cm chunks

salt, to season

2 tbsp light olive oil or rapeseed oil

1 small onion, nely chopped

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1cm piece fresh ginger, peeled and finely grated

½ red chilli (or to taste), finely chopped (optional)

1 tbsp mild curry paste, or according to taste

½ x 400g tin chopped tomatoes

400g tin black beans, drained and rinsed

250ml hot water

50g mangetout

handful cashews and fresh coriander leaves, chopped

SERVE WITH 4 tbsp plain low-fat Greek yogurt

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200 ̊C (fan 180), gas mark 6. Place the sweet potato and butternut squash in a large roasting tin. Season with a little salt, drizzle over half the oil and toss lightly so the vegetables are coated. Roast in the oven for 25-30 minutes until slightly charred on the outside and tender in the middle.

2. Meanwhile, heat the remaining oil in a large heavy-based pan, add the onion and fry over a medium heat for 5 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, chilli (if using) and curry paste and cook for a further minute.

3. Add the tomatoes, beans and hot water. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Add the mangetout and roasted vegetables and simmer for a further 3-4 minutes. Remove from the heat, season with salt and stir in the cashews and coriander. Serve topped with the yogurt.

Snack

Photography by Anita Bean

COCOA ENERGY BARS

These tasty bars are great for fuelling before or after your swim. As they’re made with just three main ingredients – dates, nuts and cocoa – they’re easy to make and have more fibre, essential fats, B vitamins, iron, magnesium and zinc than commercial bars.

*Or use standard dried dates: leave them to soak in boiling water for 10-15 minutes, then drain

Method:

1. Put the dates, almonds, cocoa powder and vanilla extract in a food processor or high-power blender and blend for about 1 minute until crumbly and evenly combined. You may need to stop the motor and scrape down the edges of the bowl once or twice. Add 2-3 tbsp of water if the dates are quite hard and don’t break down readily. Add the chocolate chips and pulse until the ingredients clump together and form a ball.

2. Press or roll the mixture between two sheets of baking parchment or cling film to a 1cm thickness. Alternatively, you can press it into an 18cm x 18cm baking tin lined with cling film. Put in the fridge for 1 hour or so until firm, then peel off the parchment and cut into bars, about 10cm x 2cm.

3. Wrap each bar in cling film or foil. They will keep in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months.